


Crimson Hoods and Criminal Wolves

by TheMadLadyJay



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But still coincides a bit, F/M, Ironwood bashing, Like a very brief mention, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Roman has a tragic backstory, Rosewick shipping trash, Ruby is an Antihero
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 03:59:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9367067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMadLadyJay/pseuds/TheMadLadyJay
Summary: When Ruby and Roman have a few heart to hearts and share a few dreams, they understandably grow closer.  Now Ruby must find a way to save his life and make sure no one recognises her in the process. With the curtains pulled back to reveal the darkness in her city and the lives of her elders, how will she cope with it and the ever growing feelings that are developing for everyone's favorite ginger villain?





	1. An Interesting Proposition

_"Not every story has a neat and tidy ending."_ That's what Weiss had said, but…Ruby sighs. She is sitting in class, only half of her brain paying attention. She still wishes that she could have done more, that she could have saved some of those Faunus. The big man in front puts particular emphasis on something and she makes a quick note before resuming her lack of attention. She began to doodle in the margins of her notebook and looks at it to see a familiar bowler hat. She sighs again.

     Her thoughts kept going back to him. At first she didn't understand why. She then reread the old stories that had inspired her to be a huntress and realized what it was. Torchwick had been her nemesis; her arch-enemy if you would. He was the villain in her fairytale and the last several months of her life had been dedicated to catching him and putting him in jail. With that done, she felt a little lost. What does she do now?

     Yes, of course Ruby can always go after whatever organization Torchwick is a part of and that mystery woman, but that was more of her team's goal. She needed something new for her on personal focus. Yang still has her mom, Blake has the White Fang, and Weiss has…something to do with her family. She won't tell and Ruby won't push. But Ruby's main focus had been Torchwick…Ruby is certain that if she knew who his boss is, then she could easily focus her attention on them. But, as far as she knows, Torchwick has been keeping his trap shut on that matter.

     Her attention is suddenly drawn back to class as the headmaster himself walks in. "Professor Ozpin! How good of you to visit our hunters and huntresses in training," Professor Port says, his ridiculous mustache bouncing with every word. "Hello Peter. I apologize for the interruption, but I require one of your students. Miss Rose, if you would accompany me?" Ruby blinks in surprise as every eye turns to focus on her. After a quick glance to her teammates and offering a shrug to their nonverbal question, she stands and gathers her things before following him out the classroom door.

     They make the trip in silence, as Ruby knows that Ozpin will speak when he is ready. They end up in his office, where he locks the door after them. He then offers her a seat. After Ruby had sat down he asks, "Coffee?" "Please." He pours her a mug and puts cream and sugar before her and refills his own, ever present mug. They stay like this for a few moments. The suspense is driving Ruby crazy! Her mind goes through a million and one different reasons why she could be here, each one worse and less likely than the last. Ozpin finally speaks, "I have a proposition for you."

     Ruby tilts her head at that. That wasn't what she had imagined at all. "A proposition?" she echoes. Ozpin smirks with a nod, "Yes. Seeing as you are constantly taking initiative, and going places where you are not supposed to..," Ruby laughs nervously and rubs the back of her head, "I think that the only input I can have in these situations is training that I myself have put you through."

    She sits there in a daze before replying with, "Are you saying that you want to…train me? As in, you personally?" Ozpin nods before bringing the mug back to his smiling lips, "Do you object?" Ruby just shakes her head, dumbfounded. Ozpin has a smug grin when he says, "Good. We'll be replacing your classes with Peter Port, and as opposed to the arena, you will come here. Any questions?" Ruby nods and starts to ask, "My team…?"

    "Will be fine without their leader for two classes." She nods mutely and takes a sip of coffee. "We'll start tomorrow." Ruby nods again and finishes her coffee before setting the mug on the desk. "Is there anything else Professor?" Ozpin shakes his head, "No. Have a nice day Miss Rose. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow." Ruby nods and goes to leave. Stopping at the door she turns and says, "Thank you for this opportunity, Professor Ozpin." With a flustered sort-of bow, she leaves.

 

      "He  **WHAT**?!" Team RWBY is sitting in their dorm room and the other three have just been informed of Ruby's new schedule. Yang gets up and drags her sister into her arms, hugging her with a lot of force. "Aww, look at my baby sister moving up in the world!" Ruby groans and tries to escape, "Yang! Pleash shtop!" Yang makes an apologetic face and puts Ruby down, who proceeds to try and relearn how to breathe. Blake agrees with Yang, "This is important Ruby. Now you'll have access to knowledge that few others get." Weiss scoffs, "Doubtful."

     All three look to see Weiss's sour face. Yang growls, "Why can't you ever be happy when she gets something good, huh?" She begins to stomp over to the ice princess when Ruby puts her hand on her sister's arm. "She's right." Blake, Yang, and especially Weiss look taken aback by this. Ruby blushes and stammers before saying, "He's probably doing this to keep us out of trouble, me especially. He's not giving me a special privilege, he's making sure that I don't act up." Weiss nods, and Blake seems to see this too, but Yang is still agitated. "It'll be okay Yang," Ruby tries to reassure her sister. The rest of the day passes on as usual, but that night, things got strange. Ruby's dream takes her to a rooftop looking towards the Vale Museum.

 

> She tucks back a strand of her hair (' _Why is it so long?!_ ') behind her ear and talks into an earpiece. "I'm in position. I repeat, the fox has the henhouse in sight. Should I continue?" She hears a voice that she recognizes all too well, "Alright Red, move in." She nods and is about to proceed when the static sound of a sigh into a microphone is heard, "Oh and Red? Don't get caught." Ruby laughs in her dream, "Sound advice. I wouldn't dream of it."
> 
> She then jumps from building to building and manages to land on the museum's roof without a sound. She fiddles with the lock on one of the windows before it springs open. (' _Where did I learn to do that?_ ') In the dream, she continues on, bugging cameras and avoiding tripwires like a pro. She passes one fabulously expensive piece after another as she makes her way to the security room. Ruby looks at her watch, 'I've got five minutes.' She goes in silently and heads straight for the lockers. Picking the lock on locker number 27, she pulls out a heart made of gears and clockwork. "Found you," she breathes. Ruby puts the heart into her bag and hurries out. Tapping her earpiece, she says, "The fox has the hen."
> 
> "No she doesn't." Ruby whirls around, drawing a gun as she does, to see Ironwood with his one gun trained on her. She is briefly thankful for her hood and mask. He falters for a moment before glaring murderous daggers at her, "You again?! How many times do you plan on making my life hell?" The question was practically spat out. Dream Ruby smirks, "As many times as you plan to fuck the world and it's people over." She then backflips while firing a round at his gun, knocking it out of his hand. Turning around she goes into a full tilt, semblance aided bolt for the back door that could only be opened from inside. "Get outta there Red!" comes from her earpiece. She snarks back a, "Already on it, Ginger." She hears the motorcycle as soon as she is out the door and jumps onto it without it even slowing. "Thanks Neo!" she shouts, her arm wrapped around the waist of the smaller woman. Neo just casts a grin over her shoulder before speeding up even more. The dream fades with the heart's beat in her bag…~

     Ruby is quiet in the morning, contemplating her dream. She had committed theft and worked with Roman Torchwick of all people…but this strangely didn't leave her with the unease that she expected it ought to. She had woken with a sense of pride and accomplishment. The Heart had been very important, that much was certain. She wonders what such a dream could have meant.


	2. Every Hero Needs a Villain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roman is actually in this one!

     Bidding her teammates good morning, she makes her way to Ozpin's office. She takes a step into the room and sees him at his desk. "Ah, Ruby! Come in. I've just poured a cup of coffee for you." Ruby smiles and thanks him before taking the cup and loading it with sugar. After a few moments Ozpin asks, "Is something on your mind?" She thinks about lying, but quickly realizes that it'll just make him angry. She sighs and says, "Yes sir. I think…I think I miss my villain." Ruby blushes as she realizes how childish it sounds when said aloud, and begins to trip over her tongue while trying to explain what she meant.

     Ozpin cuts into her unintelligible babbling with, "You are referring to Roman Torchwick, are you not?" Ruby nods, embarrassed at herself. Ozpin smiles as he takes another sip of his coffee, "I'm glad you mentioned him. The class after this is cancelled for you, yes?" Ruby nods, "Dr. Oobleck seems to have caught a cold." Ozpin rolls his eyes, "So he says. Come Ruby. I say we make our first class a field trip." Ruby's eyes seem to grow in confusion and surprise at that, with her eyebrows in her hairline. She doesn't say anything though, as who knows what goes on in that mind of his anyway?

     They take Ozpin's car, which is so shiny and sleek that Ruby practically drools. They chat in the car as though they were old friends, as opposed to headmaster and student. Ruby looks out the window and suddenly realizes where they are going. "Do you think they will give us permission to go in and see him?" Ozpin glances over, surprised and pleased to see that she had caught on, "They should. I've known James for a long time now and you **are** the leader of the team that helped capture him." She nods, but still has that image of Ironwood from her dream fresh in her mind.

     They are sitting in the waiting room when a very agitated looking Ironwood comes in. Spotting them, his face breaks into a large smile, "Ozpin!" The two shake hands before he turns to Ruby, "And Miss Rose! I knew there was something special about you! And now look, Ozpin's personal protégé!" Ruby blushes and shakes his hand. Ironwood smiles and gestures with his hand, "Come on, he's down here. I can't get the blasted fool to talk. He just…."

     "Smirks and taunts?" Ruby supplies.

      "Yes!"

      The three walk past a pair of guards into a room with two rows of tiny cells. They were all empty, except for the second to last one on the left. There, lounging on the cot, his hat, coat, and scarf off, was the one and only Torchwick. "What's up Jaime, didja bring some friends?" Ironwoods eye twitched and Ruby snorted a little. She muttered a quick, "Sorry," after Ironwood's glare though. Torchwick's head snaps up at the sound of Ruby's voice. He groans, "Aww! You brought Red?!"

     Ruby smirks a little, "What? Does my being here bug you Torchwick?" Torchwick glares at her, "Your existence bugs me, you little thorn!" Ruby smirks more and crosses her chest, and sticks her tongue out at him. He growls and glares at her. Suddenly, Ironwood starts laughing and everyone's eyes are drawn to him. He calms down enough to say, "That's the most he has reacted to anything since he's been here." Ozpin smirks, "See?" Ironwood nods, "You were right." He then looks at Ruby then, "I need to speak with Ozpin in private for a while, do you mind staying here?" Torchwick sputters, "You're joking?!" Ruby just nods, "Sure."

     Ozpin and Ironwood then exit the room, leaving a bewildered Torchwick with a curious Ruby. She suddenly looks at her feet, "Umm, Torchwick?" He grunts out, "What?" Ruby takes a deep breath and, in attempt to not lose her nerve, she spits out, "Iwannasaythankyou!" Torchwick's jaw drops the tiniest bit and before he can pull himself together enough for a reply, she continues, "I know it sounds weird but if you hadn't tried to rob me that night, Goodwitch and Ozpin wouldn't have seen what I could do. So then I wouldn't have come to Beacon, so I wouldn't have been the team leader of RWBY, I wouldn't have any of my new friends, and that would just be…" She takes a deep breath and bows, her face as red as her cloak, "So thank you!"

     Torchwick looks a little stunned. There are so many things he could say. So many snappy comebacks or raging at having been captured by her and her friends. But, she looks up at him so earnestly with those big silver eyes that all those things get swallowed up before they can be uttered. Besides, they wouldn't do him any good anyway. He's surprised by the warmth that he feels from the simple act of thanking him. He didn't get it often, and by 'not often', he really means never. So, instead of making an ass of himself, he looks away and mutters, "No problem Red." Ruby looks up at him and beams, suddenly becoming the most adorable thing in the universe. Torchwick feels a little squeeze in his chest and covers it up with sass, "Hey, you need someone to be the bad guy in your story, I'm right here."

      Ruby blushes again. Surely he didn't know what she'd been thinking? She shifts from foot to foot before saying, "It has been a little…slow, since we caught you…" She looks somewhat down. Torchwick thinks on whether or not he should ask and, realizing that hers' is the only face other than Ironwood that he'll see for a while, indulges. "What's eatin' you? Isn't peace what you want? What you're supposed to protect?" Her head shoots up and she has a look of guilt, plain as day. "It's…well, I just…" she starts sputtering before spitting out, "It's boring!" Torchwick eyebrows shoot to his hairline before he begins to laugh.

      Ruby looks at him with evident confusion before he calms down enough to talk, "Oh man Red! A girl after my own heart!" Rudy glares with her bottom lip pouting and he calms a bit more, "Don't get me wrong Red, that doesn't make you a bad person. You were made for battle, I can tell. You're supposed to be the hero. But what happens after the hero catches the villain?" Ruby's eyes widen a bit, "How did you…"

     "Know what was goin' on inside your head? It's what I do Red. Know thy enemy and all that jazz. But it's because you and I think in a similar manner. I never shot for the fairytale life simply 'cause I didn't know what it entailed. And I never got that chance."Ruby frowns and mutters, "Why?" Torchwick shakes his head and says, "Sorry Red, didn't catch that." Ruby looks directly into his eyes and replies louder, "Why didn't you get that chance? Why do you live the life you do?"

      Torchwick blinks like an owl for a moment, his brain trying to comprehend the question. "You want to know…why?" Ruby nods. Torchwick's brain goes into hyper drive. No 'good guy' had ever asked him why. No one else had for that matter. He had always been the rat to trap and nothing else. He thinks about whether or not he should tell her. Eventually the earnest look on her face won him over. "Because I didn't have a choice."

     Ruby cocks her head to the side and sits on the ground before gesturing for him to continue. Torchwick sighs as he sits on his cot and continues, "I was born in the busted up side of town. My parents had no money and could barely get by. 'Cause they were in constant pain, they turned to drugs, so we had even less cash. Eventually, I woke up to find 'em both cold as ice because they overdosed. I was tossed into the foster system, which is shit by the way, and ended up in yet another broken home. The parents already had a daughter and were obviously just usin' me for the cash. The father was an abusive drunk and the mother had no backbone. One day I came into the house to find the father ripping the clothes off of his five year old daughter. So I started throwing all of my seven year old weight against him, trying to get 'im off her, while the mother cowered in the corner with a black eye."

     He looks up to see Ruby's look of horror before continuing, "The father then turned to me and smashed his beer bottle across my face, shattering it into my right eye. Then he sat on top of me and started beating me. Broke a few ribs too. The daughter took the now broken bottle and started stabbing the father. The first time was enough to get him off me. The other times…I eventually stopped her because I feel she would have kept on stabbing his corpse if I didn't. The wife broke out of her stupor and cleaned my wounds. After washing and changing both of us, she packed our bags and told us to run. We did and found out that she told the cops that kidnappers came for us, knocked her out, and killed her husband. We never heard from or of her again." Torchwick breathes deeply here, the memories of that day washing over him. He looks to Ruby to find Ruby's face a collage of emotions, the main one being…anger?

     He breathes again as he continues, "I gave the girl a new name based off of her hair's unique color and we started a new life. The only way to survive was to steal, because we couldn't go back to the foster system, not after what we had lived through. She started getting darker and both of us quickly became okay with the idea of killing for money…She enjoys it more than I would like, but at least she wasn't the scared little girl anymore. She stopped talking though and to this day cannot speak. It’s like she has no voice box because of the horrors she had dealt with. I did any job I could get and didn't like many of them. More often than not, my employers told me little to nothing about why I was doing things. Especially recently."

      "So there is someone above you." Torchwick snaps his head up. He mentally scolds himself, ' _SHIT! Why did I tell her that?!_ ' At that moment, the two friends come back and Ironwood addresses Ruby, "Did he say anything useful?" Torchwick looks to Ruby, fear in his eyes. "Nope. Just the usual snark, sarcasm, and sass," Ruby chirps. Torchwick lets out the breath he had been holding and looks up to see Ozpin smirking at him. Ozpin then turns to Ruby, "I do believe that class time is almost over. Ready to return?" Ruby nods, "Bye General Ironwood. Torchwick." Ironwood sighs, "Goodbye Miss Rose. Do come back and visit."

      Torchwick watches as Ozpin and Ruby leave, a mix of confusion and relief on his face. "That relieved to see her go?" Ironwood teases. Torchwick plasters his trademark smirk on his face, "The bane of my existence just walked out the door. Of course I'm relieved." Ironwood snarls and stalks away. It isn't until he hears the door slam shut that Torchwick lets his face fall back to confusion. ' _Why did Red keep our talk a secret?_ '

      Ozpin glances to the passenger's seat to look at Ruby. "Did you learn anything today Ruby?" She doesn't look at him and continues to look out the window, her frown reflected on the glass, "I learned that there are many things kept under the radar that I didn't even know I needed to know about.” Ozpin hums and answers with another question, "And what does that mean to you?" Ruby's frown deepens, her usual cheerful expression lost, "I don't know yet." Ozpin looks ahead and says, "You will in time." They arrive on campus and he drops her off, "Until tomorrow, Ruby. Don't think too hard."

     Ruby watches him drive away before going to lunch. As soon as she enters, she is bombarded with questions. All of which roughly translate to "What happened?" Ruby thinks a moment on whether she should tell them before saying, "We went to where they are holding Torchwick." They all look shocked. "Why would he take you there?" Blake looks fidgety and angry as she asks. "I don't know," is Ruby's answer, "He didn't say. Probably so that I was assured that he was still captured and, thus, we won't go getting involved with things we shouldn't. Again." Blake seems to calm down. As do Weiss and Yang.

     'He also probably did it so that I can learn a few things about what it's like on the other side of the coin,' she thinks to herself. The four eat lunch and go through the rest of the day as per usual, but decide to go walking around town that evening. Weiss took an hour to get dressed and ended up looking like a walking money dispenser. So, go figure, a guy runs by and snatches her purse. "Hey!"

     They all get shocked by it, but Ruby recovers first and is on his tail immediately, "I got it!" The guy is fast, but with her semblance, she manages to tackle him to the ground. She straddles his torso so he can't get away and realizes that he's younger than her; a freaking kid! ' _And he's so thin!_ ' She looks at him sternly and holds out her hand. He hands over Weiss's purse. "I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" His hood shifts and she sees a shock of orange hair on his head. Suddenly, Ruby isn't seeing some random kid, but rather a young Roman Torchwick. His words come to her, still fresh in her mind from earlier today, ' _The only way we could survive was to steal…_ ' Ruby sighs and says, "Stay here." The boy nods, almost giving himself whiplash in his haste to obey.

     Ruby runs back to the group and tosses Weiss her purse. "Well? Where is the little scamp?!" Weiss demands. Ruby almost snaps at her on how could she be so freaking smart and still know not a damn thing but lies instead, "He tossed the purse back and ran. I gotta go get him! You guys head back to the dorm, I'll be back later. Bye!" She then runs back to the kid, leaving her bewildered teammates behind.

     Ruby find the kid sitting right where she left him, shaking in fear. She pulls out her wallet, "Sooo, you hungry?" The kid's eyes light up and his stomach growls loudly. He blushes and looks away before nodding. Ruby smiles, "Well let's go eat.  'Cause I'm starved!" Ruby starts walking and the dazed boy follows. "So what's your name?" The boy grimaces and she replies with, "Well, what do you go by?" He shrugs and says, "No one talks to me, so nothing. Like I'm not even there." Ruby hums, "That could be useful for someone of your…profession." He shrugs again, then jumps about a foot in the air when she exclaims, "Absent!"

     "What?" She grins at him, "We can call you Absent!" He laughs a bit and says, "Sure. Why not?" Ruby smiles even more and then ushers him into a restaurant. She tells him to get whatever he wants, which turns out to be a huge entrée with lots of meat. Ruby gets a burger and the two talk. She finds out that Absent is 12 and had to run away from home and his abusive parents. Ruby gets a sense of Deja-vu and begins to worry. She can't afford to take care of him forever, and he can't go to a shelter because they'll send him home. She pays and they go out of the restaurant, Absent still talking animatedly. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby sees a swath of pink, brown, and white hair. "Keep up," she mutters to the ginger.

     She then runs after the woman until they come to a back alley. "Neopolitan!" The woman turns around, her eyebrow cocked. Ruby raises her hands in the air, "I'm not her to fight." Neo looks confused and frowns, hand still on her parasol. Ruby gestures to a panting Absent, "He needs someone to look after him and help him get on his feet. He won't survive out here on his own. And I'm not the one to teach him what he needs! Will you help him? Pretty please?" Ruby puts her hands together over her head and bows in a pleading gesture.

     Neo's mouth opens in surprise and she just sits there looking like a fish out of water. Ruby looks her in the eyes and says, "I know what happened with you and Torchwick…and he's in a similar bind. Please help him survive? No one will know that we spoke. And I haven't seen you since the train. Deal?" Neo looks skeptical and Ruby tags on a "Promise!" her hand over her heart. Neo rolls her eyes and nods her head. Ruby beams, before running over and hugging the short woman. She then backs off and looks at a confused Absent. "This is Neopolitan. She'll lead you right." She hugs Absent, says her goodbyes, and heads back to Beacon.

     Ruby makes herself looks as disappointed as she can before she enters the room. "Didja get him, little sis?" Ruby lies to Yang, "No! He was gone and I couldn't find him and I looked everywhere and ARGH!" Weiss looks sympathetic for once and puts her hand on Ruby's shoulder, "At least you got my purse back. That sneak thief will get what's coming to him eventually." Ruby laughs and rubs the back of her head, "I think…I need some sleep." They all say goodnight to her and Ruby curls up and falls asleep.


	3. Dreams and Revelations

> ~Ruby is in a concrete jungle. There are broken bottles and graffiti everywhere. She hears shouting and crying coming from one of the alleys. She runs in the direction of the commotion and sees a few kids her age kicking a small child. "Hey! Leave them alone!" The kids turn her way and she pulls out Crescent Rose. After shouting various explicatives they run away. "Hey! You okay?" The kid is curled in a ball, and wearing a dingy hoodie. She lightly rests her hand on their back and feels them flinch. "Hey, it's okay. I'm a huntress in training." The kid looks up as he uncurls, his hood falling, causing Ruby to gasp.
> 
> He has one green eye filled with fear and hope, the other eye covered by a bandage. His bright orange hair is in wild disarray. "A…huntress?" he asks timidly. Ruby nods mutely. A howl pierces the…day? Night? The sky is in an orange-pink that looks somewhat like a sunset but the clouds were still white. After both look in its direction the child looks to her fearfully, "Save me!" Without a moment's hesitation, Ruby scoops the tiny boy into her arms and runs. She hears snarling behind her but realizes that she is hearing boot falls as opposed to paws.
> 
> Unable to turn around and look, she hears another join in the chase, and this one sounds like glass heels clicking on the ground. She finally get up atop a rooftop that is too far away from any of the others and realizes that she cannot jump to them. She whips around and sees Ironwood…if he were crossed with a beowolf. The other is a woman, but the top half of her is clothed in shadows; only her glowing eyes are visible. Ruby vague recognizes her from the night she met Torchwick. The two step forward and Ruby steps back. Her foot is now on the edge and she looks down, but is unable to see the ground. The two step closer and the boy whimpers. Ruby looks at him and whispers, "Roman?" The boy looks up. "Do you trust me?" The young Torchwick hesitates and then nods before holding to her tighter. Ruby breathes a sigh of relief and notices that the enemies are moving closer, their bodies coiled for a pounce.
> 
> So Ruby holds Torchwick close and step off. They begin to fall and Torchwick hold on for dear life. Ruby makes him look at her and she says, "Hey, Roman. It's okay. You're fine. This is just a dream…" Torch wick looks at her with his one good eye wide with wonder. "Come see me again, Red?" Ruby nods and smiles, "Sure!" ~

    Roman Torchwick wakes in his cell, his heart warm. He curses his mind for such a dream. He isn't scared! Not of Ironwood and definitely not of Cinder! And he certainly doesn't need Red to save him! Still, for a nightmare, it had been rather pleasant in the end. He groans and throws himself back onto his cot.

   Ruby smiles on her bed and is rather concerned by the warm glow she feels in the pit of her stomach. She can still feel the phantom weight of the young Torchwick in her arms as she turns over, still smiling, and goes back to sleep.

   Ruby enters Ozpin's office the next day and sees a mug that has a picture of the red gem she was named after on the desk. Its contents seemed to be the right color to be ready to drink, and sure enough, the coffee had the perfect amount of creamer and sugar. This only further showed her how observant Professor Ozpin really is. She doesn't know if this makes her proud that such a man would choose her as his student or frightens her at the fact that she will never be able to hide anything from him ever.

   "Good morning, Ruby," said man says as he enters the room. Ruby looks over at him, coffee in hand. She nods, unable to speak for a moment as she burns her mouth on too hot coffee. "Careful, it's fresh." Ruby rolls her eyes in a 'Really?' fashion. Ozpin chuckles before he begins to look solemn. After swallowing the coffee, she asks," What's wrong Professor?" Ozpin sighs and looks at her, "I have…unfortunate news. Regarding Torchwick." Ruby looks up, confused and concerned. "They plan to…execute him for his crimes." Ruby spits out the drink she had just taken and nearly drops her cup, "What!?"

   Ozpin hands her a handkerchief. She thanks him before continuing, "You mean if his trial and public vote agree to it right?" Ozpin shakes his head, "He's…not going to get a trial. Not if James has any say in it. He doesn't trust the public opinion to get him what he wants." Ruby sets the cup down harder than she intended. She's shaking, "But that's not…" Ozpin shakes his head, "Fair?" She turns to him, "Justice!" Ozpin does a double take before he slowly begins to grin.

   "What?" Ruby looks at him, confused by the expression upon his face. "You care about the justice of the situation?" Ruby frowns, puzzled by the question, "Of course I do. I want to be a hero of justice after all." As soon as the words left her mouth, she begins to blush profusely. Ozpin gives her a little smile and, blessedly, ignores what she had said, "I agree. It's not justice." He sighs again and goes over to his desk, "James is currently waiting on approval from the counsel. History says that we'll be waiting at least one month before he gets his answer."

    Ruby cocks her head to the side and picks her coffee back up, gesturing for him to continue. "Publically, I am telling you to not get involved." Ruby looks into her cup, frustration evident. "Privately…" Ruby snaps her head up so fast it hurts, "I have several maps of the station where Torchwick is being held." A smile breaks out across her face as understanding dawns on her. "But before you do any heroics," Ozpin continues, "You will have to come up with a plan and learn a fighting style unlike your own so no one recognizes you." Ruby sets her now empty mug down, "I'm ready to learn anything!" Ozpin nods and finishes his own mug before refilling both. After the first sip of his new cup, he cracks his neck, "Then let us begin."

    Ozpin rushes at her, cane in hand. Ruby jumps back and begins to draw Crescent Rose…which is promptly knocked out of her hand. "Think Ruby. That scythe will reveal who you are in a heartbeat." Ruby backflips out of the way of another strike, only to be knocked flat on her back by another. Ruby growls as Ozpin mocks, "You'll never save anyone if all you do is dodge." Ruby glares and uses her speed to get up in his face and attempt a dropkick. He deftly blocks it with his cane and throws her. He comes at her for another strike and she speeds past to grab a chess piece off of a board. He swings again and she dodges before throwing the piece. Ozpin catches it, laughing.

    Ruby is getting frustrated as she tries to land another kick, which he catches. Using him as an anchor, she spins her body around trying to land one on top of his head. He moves just in time for the heel of her shoe to hit his shoulder. He drops his cane to grab this foot as well and spins her down to the ground. On her way down, Ruby grabs to cane and semblances her way away from Ozpin. Now armed, she feels a bit more confident; until he charges. She starts dodging, this way and that occasionally smacking the man with his own cane. But he is smiling. Through this whole situation, Ozpin has kept a permanent smile on his face.

    Ruby eventually begins to have fun as well, even when he yanks his cane back at one point. Eventually, Ozpin calls for a stopping point and Ruby is grateful for it. She is exhausted and gratefully accepts both the water and coffee that is offered to her. She does still have two more classes today. Ozpin smiles and says, "From now on, Mondays and Wednesdays will be spent researching your objective and developing a plan. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be spent sparring. Fridays will be a mix of both, and your weekends will be spent as you please."

    Ruby nods before saying, "I'd like to spend my Saturdays with my friends and sister so that they don't figure out what's going on. Sunday's I'd like to visit the building and Torchwick himself." Ozpin crooks an eyebrow, "Whatever for?" Ruby blushes before saying, "I promised I would. Also, I might be able to get who he's working for out of him." Ozpin smiles, "And this is why you are the team leader Miss Rose. Fair enough. Spend your time wisely. We know we have a month. After that…I have no clue. Have a good rest of your day, Ruby." She nods and bows, before exiting the room. Her mind is clear and busy at the same time. She knows what she needs to do, but how to do it?

    Torchwick is pacing his cell. His mind has been clouded and, if he was to be honest, Ironwood has been driving him nuts. The man keeps yo-yoing back and forth between smug and enraged and it's starting to get on the ginger's nerves. Plus it's been a few days since that dream of his. He has this overall feeling that something bad is gonna happen and that Red is connected to it somehow. Plus he kind of misses her. Torchwick stops his pacing, face-palms, and then shakes his head to clear it. He is NOT missing some tiny girl in a red hood with an overgrown weed hacker.

    Still, she has been one of the few people other than Ironwood that he's seen since his capture. And for some reason, he can't shake her promise to come see him again. "Come on Roman! It was just a dream! Come back to reality man," he mutters to himself. He looks out of his cell to see the red light of sunset on the floor. 'Another day in the slammer passed, huh?'

    He hears the door open and hears voices. "So, you are here without Ozpin because…?"

    "I'm supposed to be learning how criminals think. So as to become a better huntress. You don't mind do you?"

    Torchwick couldn't believe his ears, or his eyes for that matter. Standing in front of him were Ironwood and…Red. He blinks at their arrival, dumbstruck at how relieved he feels with her standing in front of him. "Right. Here he is Miss Rose. Just push that button on the side of his cell if you need me." With that, Ironwood walks away and out the door, leaving a confused Torchwick behind with Ruby Rose. "Umm, hi."

    He looks very pointedly at her and mimics," 'Umm, hi.' Really? What are ya here for Red?" Ruby looks at the floor and scuffs it a bit with her boot. "I just wanted to come talk to you. See how you were doing…keep you caught up." Roman cocks an eyebrow, "Caught up?"

    Ruby nods, "On the world outside. You don't get much in the way of news right?" Torchwick nods and gestures for her to go on. "Well first off, Neo says 'hi'." If Torchwick had been drinking anything, he would have choked, "Neo!?" Ruby continues, "Yeah. I ran into her on my way here, and she's taking care of something for me right now anyway…" At Torchwick's raised brow she answers with, "It's a long story. Next, there are investigations going on in the city to find White Fang activity. No progress obviously, but I'm glad Ironwood is spending his time doing something more productive than harassing you for information you won't give…I wish you'd give him something. Something tiny and somewhat insignificant, just so the council sees there is still use for you…" The last part is muttered under her breath, barely audible. Torchwick hears it anyway, "Why are you so concerned?"

    Ruby snaps her head up and meets his eyes with her own. 'Holy crap! Have her eyes always been this pretty?' He thinks to himself before being slightly disgusted at his own thoughts. Ruby doesn't seem to notice his internal argument and continues, "There are things going on here that are not right. There are plans for revenge and personal satisfaction being disguised as a means of doling out justice. I need you to lie and smooth talk your way out of every situation you can. Act as though your life depends on it, okay? I'll see you in a week." Ruby then turns to walk out of the room, and Torchwick calls after her, "Why did you come today Red?"

    Ruby just looks at him and says, very quietly, "Because I promised I would." She then leaves, confining Torchwick to his very small cell and reeling thoughts. 'She…promised?' His thoughts suddenly go back to the dream, before he shakes his head, "Nah, it couldn't be."

    Ruby breathes a sigh of relief when she finally makes it back into her dorm room. It had taken her all day to work up the courage to see him (at least she got all of her homework done) and she was only there a few minutes. She clambers up on to her bed and flings her cape onto the floor. No doubt Weiss will complain, but she can't bring herself to care. Usually she hates it when Weiss yells at her and for the longest time, she didn't know why it bugged her so much. She almost fell over when she realized it. She couldn't figure out why until she saw Weiss's evident crush on Neptune and felt a cold rage in the pit of her stomach.  She eventually discovered that the sensation was jealousy, which meant she had a crush on Weiss.

    Let's make the note that 'had' is a key word. The feeling has died down recently and Ruby is blaming the whole situation on teenage hormones. Sure, she still thinks that Weiss is pretty, but so is Blake, and Yang…and that girl from the other school is downright gorgeous. What was her name again, Cinder? Ruby realizes now that she isn't the straightest stick in the forest but she does still like the opposite sex. She finds Jaune handsome enough, Neptune pretty attractive, if not a bit smug, the same could be said of the silver haired boy Mercury, and Ren is pretty…yeah, pretty is a good word for him. She shakes her head at her thoughts. They keep going back to what Weiss said yesterday when they all went out together. " _You never take interest in people Ruby! What happens when you get old enough and want to settle down?"_

    Ruby giggles remembering how Yang got angry and protective. Ruby sighs and pushes those thoughts to the back of her mind. She has bigger problems right now and is too busy to be a teenage girl. Right now, she needs to focus on being a hero and saving Torchwick from impossible odds. One of the main reasons she was there today was to scope out how the interior of the prison looks. Schematics and blue prints are awesome in theory, but they mean almost nothing if you have no clue how they translate. She sighs, her head filled with too many thoughts, and tries to settle down for sleep.

    The next day continues like any other. Team RWBY goes to breakfast and chat with team JNPR. Ruby looks at how close Ren and Nora are and envies them a bit. They are inseparable and Ruby kind of wishes to have something similar with someone. She also note Jaune's complete lack of understanding when it comes to Pyrrah's feelings. However, he seems to have given up on Weiss. She keeps all of these observations to herself and continues to act in her usual cheerful way.

    She enters Ozpin's office and immediately picks up her mug and sits at the desk Ozpin had set up for her. The coffee is a bit more bitter than usual and she realizes that he missed a sugar. She shrugs and continues drinking it anyway. She then takes note that something is missing from her desk. A floor plan that she drew up on Friday. She had been thinking, that after she rescues him, where does he go? She can't just release him, he'll get caught or attacked by the ones he worked for. They would want to tie up all loose ends after all. So Ruby had been designing a safehouse of sorts and was trying to think of a location for it. She gets up and begins looking for the floorplan. She hears someone clear their throat and looks up to see Ozpin standing by the door to his personal living quarters. In his hand is her schematic.

    "Hello Professor." Ozpin nods and gestures for her to follow. He opens the door and enters it. Ruby follows closely and is suddenly standing in a hallway made of mirrors that reflect the shadows of the gears from above as well as anyone walking through it. She can see the door to his apartment down this hall before he stops her halfway and looks very pointedly at one mirror in particular. Ruby walks over to it and studies it, before lightly pressing on the cool glass.

    The mirror swings open and Ruby sees a room with a window to the outside. She cocks her head to the side. There is no window this high up visible from the outside of the tower other than the one in Ozpin's office. She walks in and sees that it's not just one room, but rather a spacious, three bedroom apartment. "Wow…" She turns to look at Ozpin, who hands her the floorplan back. "You won't be needing this. He may stay here, as well as any of his associates that you deem worthy of protection." Ruby nods and thanks him. 'This'll make things easier,' she thinks to herself. Ruby then whips around and says, "We're gonna need to get a lock for that door. One that's not noticeable from the outside." Ozpin smirks, "Finally! I was wondering if you were ever going to let me in on the fun."

    Ruby smirks at his childlike enthusiasm and walks over to a panel in the wall of the living room. It springs open at her touch and has various hooks for weapons and clothing. Smiling softly she closes the closet and investigates further. The rooms were furnished in an impersonal and almost clinical way. Ozpin clears his throat and says, “I feel that I should let you know that you and I are the only ones aware of this room’s existence.”  He then sighs deeply, causing Ruby to look at him. “I also think that you should know why I know Ironwood so well.” Ruby cocks her head to the side, “Isn’t it because you are both headmasters?” Ozpin offers a sad smile and gestures for her to follow him out of the room.

    “It is that, but also more…Ruby, what is your favorite childhood fairytale?” Confused, Ruby ponders a bit before saying a title aloud. Ozpin chuckles and says, “I enjoy that one as well. But have you heard the story of the Maidens?” Ruby makes a happy noise before saying, “Yes! The one about the four sisters; Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, and the wizard who grants them the power of the seasons themselves…Why?” Ozpin gives her another sad smile before saying, “What if I told you that these stories were true?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh alluding to things in the show again!!!


	4. Food for Thought

     Ruby pauses at the statement. “The Maidens are real? You want me to believe that there is magic in the mix of dust and semblances?” Ozpin nodded, his mouth a grim line. She sighs, “Okay.” Ozpin starts at that, “Okay?” At Ruby’s nod he continues, “No questions? Or disbelief?” The fifteen year old shrugs and replies, “I fight monsters for a living and practically fly around surrounded by rose petals…Why would I question this?” Ozpin looks at her for a moment and then chuckles. “I suppose that you have me there. Well, the general and I are guardians of the maidens. There are other’s as well…such as Ms.Goodwitch and Qrow.” Ruby looks surprised, “My uncle? He’s in on this too?” Ozpin nods. Ruby hums to herself. “Penny for your thoughts, Ruby?” She shakes her head, as though to clear it. She then locks eyes with him, “Something big is coming...bigger than Torchwick…bigger than us...isn’t it?”

     Ozpin finishes his cup and pours another before sighing, “We believe so…the Fall maiden has already been attacked…we are barely keeping her alive.” Ruby pulls a face, “Why would they attack the maidens?” Ozpin frowns before answering, “To take their power… they already took half of Fall’s power.” Ruby’s disquieted expression deepens, “I want to help you…but first things first…” The headmaster nods, “Torchwick is your first priority, naturally.” Ruby grins up at him. She doesn’t know why, but having him support her in this makes her feel centered; balanced in a way she hasn’t before. “I feel like I’m finally making a real difference!” Ozpin smiles softly at her before taking another drink of coffee and clearing his throat. Ruby looks at him expectantly. “I believe that it is time that we determine what weapon will be best for you to use while you are hidden…I feel it best to describe this now so I may have something suitable for tomorrow.” Ruby hums in thought… ’What would be difficult to trace back to me?’ Her thoughts drift back to the dream with Torchwick’s voice in her ear. She had been wearing some sort of clawed gloves.

     “Maybe some sort of clawed gauntlet? I mean, you and I have been practicing mostly hand to hand combat and it’s so different than my usual style that it should make figuring out who I am difficult…” She trails off before nodding her head. Ozpin looks to be in deep thought and starts to pace the length of his office, Ruby closing the door after him. Finally, after Ruby had sat back down at her desk, he spoke, “I believe I have the perfect design idea!” Ruby smiles and picks up her mug, toasting to him before taking a drink and settling her gaze back to the prison schematics.

     The rest of the day passed without much incident. Everywhere in the city there is the buzz of preparation for the Vital Festival. Team RWBY has practice that evening in order to ensure that they have their timing perfect. Ruby looks up at her smiling team and says, “I think I know who I want in what order for the festival when we make it past the other teams.” Weiss cocks her hip out and says, “Don’t you mean ‘if’ we make it past?” Ruby shakes her head and beams, “I know we’ll make it! We have had so many more trials than the other teams! We’ve got this in the bag!”

     “Yeah!” chimes in Yang, “We’ll send them packing real quick!” Blake smiles fondly and shakes her head, “As much as I like your guys’ enthusiasm, I’m with Weiss. We should temper our expectations…there are a lot of other teams and we know next to nothing about them.” Weiss nods, “Thank you Blake.” Yang hangs her head and gives a half-hearted glare at Blake, but it has no real heat behind it. “Buzz kill.” Ruby looks at her team and feels a now familiar rush of affection for them. She laughs lightly and says, “Yes, yes, caution before recklessness. Still, after we make it past the first fight I want FreezerBurn in the ring! After that, well, we’ll see how it goes!” All three of them gape at her with wide eyes before Weiss blushes lightly and Yang fist pumps the air. “I’m flattered Ruby, but why?” Weiss is trying to keep her tone airy but the pride is still there. Ruby chuckles before explaining, “You guys are our most balanced team and probably the one that they would least expect.” Yang looks at her before asking, “Why not you though? Don’t you want a shot at that?”

     Ruby smiles faintly before say, “I mean, yeah. Of course I do…it’s just…you guys have two more years of schooling and experience than I do. Plus I would rather get a victory for team RWBY over getting to fight.” Blake looks at her with something akin to pride. Ruby is confused and then she realizes that Weiss and Yang are doing it too. “What?” Yang runs over and grips her sister in a bear hug that’s all bruising strength, heat, and blonde hair, “OOOh I’m so proud of you!!!” Weiss lets out a light laugh, “And THAT’S why you are the leader of this team.” Ruby would be embarrassed if she weren’t so busy trying to breathe.

     Later that night, Ruby is staring at her ceiling in thought… ’What would be the best way to get him out?’ She continues to think before she remembers the giant glass window…if she could have someone drive underneath it at _juuust_ the right time…but then she shakes her head. ‘Nah. Too high. Although…’ She thought back to the portable gravity fields that she had read about recently… ‘If I pop one of those mid-fall _and_ a smoke-bomb while someone in a convertible was driving under us…Its doable if I can get an accomplice and time it perfectly.’ She nods to herself, resolving to talk to Ozpin about it the next day. She falls asleep with the image of a brilliantly green eye looking at her in relief.

     When she enters Ozpin’s office the next day, she walks into an argument between the headmaster and Ms. Goodwitch. “…And she’s only getting WORSE Ozpin!” At hearing the elevator doors open she whirls around, “Ahh…Ruby. Time for your lessons then?” Ruby nods mutely, feeling like an intruder. “Right…We’ll talk later Ozpin.” And with a dignified huff, Ms. Goodwitch left the room. Ozpin groaned and rubbed his temples, and Ruby noticed he looked downright exhausted. “Sir?” He looks up at her and cracks a weak smile, “Excellent timing Ms. Rose! I don’t know how much more of that I could have taken! In any case…here.” He pulls out a black box from under his desk and sets it down.

     Overcome with curiosity, as she so often is, Ruby gently lifts the lid and gasps. Sitting in the red velvet lining are two wicked looking gauntlets that are clawed like the front paws of a Beowolf and have painful looking studs on the knuckles. “I’d have made a matching set of boots, but I don’t know your size. That and it was already dawn by the time I finished those…” He tries to stifle a yawn and fails spectacularly. Ruby pulls them from the box and puts them on; they fit perfectly. She strikes out with one paw (as that is what she feels she has now) and is pleased by its weight. Ozpin forces himself out of his chair and takes a fighters stance. “Alright Ms. Rose. Let us begin today’s training.” Ruby smirks and this time, it is she who lunges first.

     At the end of their practice, cut short by her inexperience with the weapon and his exhaustion, Ruby poses the plan that she came up with the night before. Ozpin hums before saying, “I can get you the portable gravity field easily, but who will you get to drive under you?” Ruby smirks and says, “I think I know a guy…well, he knows Yang at the very least…” Ozpin chuckles lightly. “So you want the boots then?” Her currently messy red hair mussing further with the speed of the movement, Ruby nods vigorously…almost violently. Another chuckle issues from the headmaster, “Very well. We shall end this session here. Have fun with the rest of your classes today.” Ruby calls her farewells and descends in the elevator. ‘Now how to go about getting in touch with Junior?’ she wonders to herself before she moves on to her next class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that my update is so short and so late after the last one but I hope to be coming out with more frequent updates.  
> Thanks for reading so far though!

**Author's Note:**

> If you are a reader that followed this on Fanfiction then I am sorry for the wait...


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